Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles
by Anomander Rake
Summary: Nearly fifty years after the defeat of Akatsuki, the ninja countries have once again plunged into war. With enemies on all sides, Uzumaki Arashi and his friends are in a race against time in their goal to stop the fighting.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Naruto is © property of Masashi Kishimoto. Story and Original Characters are © material of Anomander Rake. Do not use without owner's permission.

Warning: Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles is rated **M** for coarse language, violence, use of alcohol/drugs, sexuality and dark themes.

Author's Note: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles, my latest fan fiction project. First let me start off by saying this story does not follow the character Naruto nor does it follow any of the other characters featured in the manga and anime series. Instead the story follows Naruto's grandson, Uzumaki Arashi, as he seeks to end the World War before it destroys the Ninja lifestyle. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my story. Please review, I like to hear the reader thoughts. Criticism is also welcome as long as it's constructive. With that said, I present to you the Prologue… The Chronicles begin now.

* * *

**Naruto:** **The Tempest Chronicles**

_A story by Anomander Rake_

Prologue

* * *

_  
Konoha Medical Building_

_46 years ago…  
_

Uzumaki Naruto paced nervously up and down the narrow hallway, each footstep causing an echo inside the otherwise silent facility. Sitting quietly in chairs off to one side were two of his mentors and closest friends, Hatake Kakashi and Yamato Tenzo. The former was re-reading through one of his perverted novels, a volume that told the story of a gallant hero and his choice between two beautiful young women. Naruto knew that particular novel quite well, as his former Sensei had read through it at least two dozen times since the two had met and he himself had even read through it once out of curiosity. The latter's reason for accompanying the group was, Naruto assumed, to keep an eye on him and make sure the Kyuubi did not attempt anything. While he had learned to keep the beast in check most of the time, it still began to act up when his emotions became unstable. And as it were, Naruto now stood outside the emergency room where Karin had been rushed only hours before, leaving Naruto with no information to go on but "There's been complications,", an ambiguous explanation given to him by Sakura before she closed the door on his face. Now all he could do was stand and wait until somebody decided to update him with information on the situation.

_Sasuke stared silently up at the moon from atop a tree branch he had chosen as the camp's lookout point. On a nearby branch sat Naruto, who chose also to be lookout even though it was Sasuke's shift. The next morning they would finally confront Akatsuki once and for all, so how could anyone expect him to sleep? Beneath them the campsite was faintly lit by the dying embers of the cooking fire, the sleeping bodies of the other ninja hidden amongst the shadows. Naruto's eyes were on one ninja in particular, her face covered by her light pink hair and her sleeping bag rising and falling in rhythm with each breath she took._

"_Naruto…" Sasuke's voice was low, his eyes still on the moon above._

_Naruto did not answer but rather turned his head to look at Sasuke. It had been more than a week since Sasuke and his friends had joined teams with the Konoha ninja but still Sasuke hardly talked. He kept mainly to himself, which was not unlike his behaviour, but Naruto could not sense the anger he was used to feeling in his best friend, only a cold emptiness. In the end, killing his brother Itachi seemed to do little in the way of making him happier. Sasuke closed his eyes._

"_Karin is pregnant with my child." He said slowly as if he was choosing each word carefully. "If something ever happened to me…"_

"_Nothing will-" Naruto started but Sasuke cut him off._

"_Don't." Sasuke's head turned towards the blonde ninja. He opened his eyes. "Please just listen to what I have to say, okay?"_

_Naruto winced. "…O-Okay."_

"…_Thanks." Sasuke closed his eyes again. "If something ever happened to me and I couldn't raise my child… Would you watch over him or her for me?"_

_Naruto's heart felt like a stone in his chest. He didn't like hearing his friend talk like this but he knew it would be better to answer the question properly. Nodding again, Naruto turned his attention toward Karin's sleeping form. "Definitely… I'd protect them as if they were my own child."_

"_Thank you…" Sasuke whispered, the words nearly too quiet to be heard even in the dead of night. When Naruto finally looked back at his friend, he could see the moonlight reflected off the tears on his cheeks and his lips forced into a smile that looked more sad than happy. _

"…_Naruto."  
_

Just as Naruto was about to take a seat beside the others, the door swung open and Sakura stepped out from the room. She held in one arm a bundle of blankets which she cradled back and forth, but her eyes were wet with tears and as soon as Naruto and the others took a look at her, they knew they were not tears of joy. Naruto was the first at her side but the question he meant to ask got caught in his throat as he looked down at the bundle in her arm. He could see a tiny pink face poking outfrom beneath the three layers of blankets, its eyes closed and its breathing steady. On its head was a line of black fuzz and its nostrils flared with each breath it took. Naruto was mesmerized by the sight, so much so he forgot the fact Sakura had been crying and it was only when Kakashi broke the silence that he remembered what he had wanted to ask.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked Sakura, his book nowhere to be seen. Despite the situation, his voice seemed rather serious.

"She didn't make it…" Sakura whispered.

It took a moment for the words to form meaning in his mind. When it did, he couldn't even control his actions. Turning towards the room, Naruto took two steps, pushed open the door the entire way and looked towards the corner of the room. Lying on the bed was Karin, most of her body covered by a yellow comforter. Her glasses had been removed and placed on a table beside the bed, next to a vase of flowers that Naruto guessed was to give life to the otherwise depressing room. She looked so peaceful in sleep, her lips slightly parted and her cheeks still coloured reddish from the struggle of childbirth. But something was wrong, Naruto could instantly tell, and it didn't take him long to confirm that Karin wasn't sleeping, in fact, she wasn't even breathing. At the realization, Naruto almost collapsed.

"No…" Naruto whispered, placing one hand against the wall to lean on. "No!"

Before Naruto knew it, Kakashi was at his side with his hand on his shoulder in a supporting gesture. He remained like this for a time but didn't say anything, because he knew he had to let Naruto come to terms with the loss on his own. Sakura's head was hung, shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she watched the baby nestled in her arms. Yamato stood off to the side, his full attention on Naruto.

"I was supposed to protect her…" Naruto whispered to himself. "I promised…"

"_Don't let your guard down!" Sasuke screamed to the others as the enemy closed in. Several ninja, each with orange hair and facial piercings, were closing in around them and despite killing the bodies, they tended to come back to life. Apparently each body was a piece of a whole, six bodies controlled by one mind. Whoever it was, he called himself "Pein" and was obviously the Akatsuki leader. The others were off fighting the remaining members of Akatsuki, each caught in their own battlefield and thus Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were left alone to deal with the strongest of the enemies. "Sakura, watch out!"_

_Hearing Sasuke's warning, Sakura turned in time to catch an incoming fist that was swung at her head by one of Pein's bodies. Closing her hand over the wrist, Sakura twisted his arm until she heard the sound of his bones breaking and then delivered a knee to his abdomen with enough force that he was sent crashing through a nearby tree. The body was impaled on a large piece of bark and then crushed beneath the weight of the tree, successfully putting him out of the fight. Meanwhile, a group of Naruto's kage bunshins were assaulting another body with various taijutsu attacks and then followed up with a successful rasengan. Naruto drove the rasengan right into the enemy's chest which sent him sprawling into the dirt but not before burning a large hole through his flesh. Then just as Naruto's bunshins disappeared and he made to finish the enemy off, Sasuke's voice called out to him._

"_Naruto, watch out!" Naruto turned in confusion to see why Sasuke was yelling and then he saw what Sasuke had seen, a black spear moving with impossible speed towards Naruto. The main Pein body had summoned it at some point and none of them had noticed and now in the face of danger, Naruto hesitated._

"_Not good!" Naruto growled, as he squeezed his eyes closed and ground his teeth together. He then brought his arms up to shield himself as he hopelessly awaited the incoming spear. When nothing happened, Naruto opened his eyes to see Sasuke standing in front of him with his arms spread wide, the black spear driven completely through his torso. He just stood there motionless for what seemed like an eternity, his arms spread as if he were a hawk ready to take flight. But suddenly Sasuke's body heaved as he coughed and a stream of blood began to run from between his lips. Using his last bit of strength, Sasuke looked back towards Naruto, gave him a brief smile and then collapsed to the ground.  
_

"Naruto…" Sakura said quietly, her head still hung. Suddenly Naruto lashed out against the wall, punching it in frustration. The sound woke up the baby and he began to cry. Naruto was surprised at the baby's sudden reaction, and immediately felt sorry for what he did. Sakura just cradled the baby in her arm, humming soothing noises in an attempt to calm the child down. When it wouldn't stop crying, Sakura smiled sadly. "I guess he's hungry."

She placed her finger on the baby's lips to hush it, as she gently rocked him back and forth. Unconsciously, the baby boy took Sakura's finger into his mouth and began to suck on the tip. With the baby soothed, the hospital soon became deathly quiet again. Naruto turned towards Karin's lifeless body again and took one last look at her.

"I will protect your child." Naruto promised, his voice rising with each word. "That I swear to you."

And with that, Naruto turned and stepped outside of the room, pulling closed the door behind him. Kakashi patted Naruto on the back.

"We will give her a royal funeral and have her laid to rest beside Sasuke in the Uchiha cemetery." Kakashi assured Naruto.

Naruto looked up at Kakashi and nodded. "I think she would have liked that idea. I think both her and Sasuke would be happy."

"I'm sure they are out there somewhere, watching over you Naruto." Yamato said, speaking for the first time during the whole ordeal. "And wherever they are, I'm sure they are happy."

"Yeah…" Naruto whispered.

"_Sakura, try and heal him!" Naruto was screaming, desperately trying to keep his friend from dying on him. Sakura had used a jutsu to cover the surrounding area with earth pulled from the ground around them and Naruto was keeping the Pein bodies at bay with kage bunshins. Sakura had already pulled the spear from Sasuke's body and had since begun working on healing the wound. Despite what she tried, his condition steadily grew worse. Naruto could tell Sakura was becoming frustrated with the lack of success, more and more tears began to run down her cheeks and her teeth were ground tightly together. Naruto was about to make a suggestion when Sasuke started to talk._

"_Give it up, it's no use…" He whispered, his voice muffled by the blood in his mouth. "The spear he used… Something is wrong…"_

_Sasuke coughed and Sakura quickly leaned his head to the side, allowing for the blood to exit the mouth so it wouldn't clog his throat and choke him. After the fit was over, Sasuke began to talk again._

"_Naruto… My child…" He was about to cough again but made an effort to prevent it. Successfully he avoided coughing up more blood and after a few seconds was able to talk again. "Remember what I asked… Protect Karin… Protect our child…"_

_Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand in his. "Cut it out, Sasuke. We didn't come this far just so you could die on us now. Sakura is going to heal you and you are going to come home with us. You are going to be a father and you're going to damn well grow old with me, do you understand?"_

_Tears began to run from Naruto's eyes as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke. Lifting his body off the ground, he pulled Sasuke into a hug and looked over his shoulder at Sakura. She simply shook her head, an indication that she had failed and nothing could be done to save their friend. Naruto felt his heart rip in two at that moment but chose to fight the inevitability, he would not believe that Sasuke could die. Not after everything Naruto had done to find and save him. Was Naruto not the wind and Sasuke the fire? Was wind not supposed to fan the flames, to make them stronger? So why was the fire dying?_

"_I said do you understand me!?" Naruto screamed, his body heaving as he began to cry. Beneath him, Sasuke lifted his arm, a task he struggled with greatly, and then let it fall over Naruto's shoulder, returning the hug he was being given. With his other hand, he tried to reach out to Sakura, but his strength was beginning to fail. Sakura understood him, however, and caught Sasuke's hand as it fell and held it tightly in hers. Feeling how cold his skin was, she began to cry even harder._

"_Idiots…" Sasuke smiled. His teeth were completely red from the blood. "You never stopped… Even when I betrayed you, even when I hurt you… You always followed me."_

"_Of course!" Naruto screamed, his voice cracking in the process. "You're our friend."_

"_Friend?" Sasuke considered the word. His voice was growing weaker now and it took him longer to say each word. "Yes, you are my friends."_

_They could not say how long they had remained there like that, holding on to Sasuke while a battle with the enemy raged on all around them. They also couldn't say at which point Sasuke had drew his final breath, though when they both came to, Sasuke had already succumb to the wound. They decided to stay like that for a short time longer, as this would be the last time team seven would be together.  
_

Suddenly, Naruto felt Sakura's hand grab his own and she directed his attention to the baby in her arms. "He still doesn't have a name."

"Oh, right…" Naruto whispered, looking down at the tiny human that could fit in one of Sakura's arms. He felt a great love for the baby, an overwhelming need to comfort and protect him. He knew if Sasuke was here to see his son, nothing could ever make him more proud. "What about Shinka? We should name him Shinka."

"Shinka…" Sakura considered. "Shinka is a beautiful name."

"Uchiha Shinka..." Naruto squeezed Sakura's hand tightly as he brushed his other hand through Shinka's fuzzy hair. "…Our son."

* * *

End note: So ends the prologue to Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles. The real story begins next chapter where you will be introduced to the real characters of the story. Just a reminder, this story takes place 46 years after what you just read and follows the lives of two friends, Uzumaki Arashi and Uchiha Hotaru. Are you as excited as I am? Probably not, but oh well.

Confirmations for the Confused:

- Naruto gets together with Sakura and they raise Shinka. Additionally, they will go on to have a son of their own.

- Sasuke and Karin hook up after the death of Uchiha Itachi. They never got married but their son was planned.

- Karin died giving birth to her son. This was caused by both health problems related to Sasuke's death (Lack of nutrition, improper sleeping habits, etc.) and birthing complications caused mainly because of noted health problems.

- Despite her earlier obsession with Sasuke, Sakura did try everything in her power to save Karin from dying. She in no way, shape or form worked towards Karin's death and was genuinely upset when Karin did not make it.

- I realize Yamato is not actually Tenzo's surname, but rather his alias used in ANBU. For the sake of neatness in the fic, I chose to use Yamato as his surname instead.

Final words: Thank you for reading and always remember: Rake loves you all.


	2. Chapter 1: Enemy

Disclaimer: Naruto is © property of Masashi Kishimoto. Story and Original Characters are © material of Anomander Rake. Do not use without owner's permission.

Warning: Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles is rated **M** for coarse language, violence, use of alcohol/drugs, sexuality and dark themes.

Author's Note: Here we go, the first chapter of Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles. Before I begin, I want to make it absolutely clear who the two main protagonists are. First up we have Uzumaki Arashi, the 17 year old grandson of the late Uzumaki Naruto. His best friend, Uchiha Hotaru, is older by two years and is the grandson of Uchiha Sasuke. Alright, with that out of the way, we can begin with the story. Please enjoy and don't forget to review. Thank you.

* * *

**Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles**

_A story by Anomander Rake_

Chapter 1 - "Enemy"

* * *

Uzumaki Arashi sat cross legged by the campfire, playing with embers using a branch he had taken from a nearby tree, the flame's glow painting his golden-yellow hair a rusty bronze. One by one he turned the burning logs over and watched as the brilliant orange colour faded to grey in the damp night air, his eyes dulling from copper to their natural slate-blue with each dying ember. The nights spent in the forest were windless, which made listening for intruders easier. On the other hand, the leaves and branches of the tall trees blanketed the forest in darkness, leaving them blind. But despite the disadvantage that came with the loss of eyesight, he and his companion, Uchiha Hotaru, had agreed travel was safer in the forest, as even if they traveled the countryside, the rain season was approaching and that meant clouded skies more often than not. If they were forced to set up camp in the open on a cloudy night, they would not only be unable to see but would have wind as a distraction as well. All in all, the cover of the trees played a vital role in keeping the pair of ninja safe.

It was Arashi's turn to sleep, as he had taken the first watch earlier that evening. But as the hours crept by, he decided sleep would not come to him and instead found himself increasingly more aware of his surroundings, as if each passing minute counted down to the next attack. In the past few days alone, they had been confronted twice by Konoha hunters and had barely managed to escape both times. If they were caught again, Arashi wasn't sure they would be able to survive the encounter, let alone make an escape. With thoughts of their recent luck on his mind, Arashi began picking at a cloth bandage that was wrapped tightly around his left arm, under which lay a wound he had received from an enemy's shuriken the previous morning. He had been worried ever since he had been wounded in the attack, as it only struck him there because he used his arm to block his neck. The enemy had meant to kill, and would have done just that had he been only a second later in his reaction. This was the first time the Konoha hunter ninja had tried to kill him and Hotaru; before they were strictly trying to capture them.

'I guess we really are considered traitors…,' He whispered to himself.

And with that thought came the rustling of leaves, the snapping of a branch and the muffled thud noise of someone landing on the ground not ten feet away from him. His reaction time was instantaneous, and before the faint echo of the snapping branch could subside, Arashi was standing with a kunai in hand, ready to defend against any attack that might come from the surrounding shadows. The figure that stepped out from the darkness and into the light of the fire had shoulder-length, messy black hair and eyes like charcoal. Arashi breathed a sigh of relief, returning his weapon to its proper place.

'What are you doing back already?' Arashi asked his friend, who was supposed to be on perimeter watch, 'We still have at least two hours until dawn.'

'We've got to move,' the other ninja bluntly stated, quickly gathering their equipment together. He stuffed their backpacks with the sleeping bags and cooking tools, but made no attempt to pack away the weapons. Confused, Arashi stood off to the side watching his friend scurry around the campsite.

'What's going on?' Arashi asked, unconsciously unbuttoning the various weapon pouches on his body.

'They've caught our trail again,' Hotaru picked up the two bags full of their equipment and threw them into the fire.

'What the hell are you doing?!' Arashi yelled, running over to their burning equipment.

'They'll just slow us down,' Hotaru replied. He was now choosing places on himself to store the extra weapons. Strapped along his back was a ninja-to and he had a number of pouches on his body full of shurikens, kunai, scrolls and other important tools. 'Besides, we don't need any of that crap.'

Arashi started to outfit himself with extra weaponry too, 'Even so, the smoke will likely draw them right here!'

A shrug from the raven-haired ninja, then he placed the last of the kunai in a pouch on his right leg. He zipped the pouch closed and then stood up. Stretching his limbs in different ways to test his ability to manoeuvre with the added weight, he said 'They're on their way here regardless. If anything, this will slow them for a time as they'll probably want to sort through the burnt remains.'

Arashi couldn't deny the sense in his friend's reasoning and after taking one last look at the pack, he decided it couldn't be helped. Brushing the dirt off his pants, he made his way over to Hotaru, 'How much time do we have?'

'If we leave now, we'll have a 45 minute lead on them.' Hotaru whispered, 'But we're at a disadvantage in the dark. Our safest bet is to move first into open land and then proceed from there.'

'How much time do we lose if we do that?' Arashi already knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

'Half…,' Hotaru replied after a moment's pause.

Arashi shook his head; this wasn't looking good, 'You pick up any additional information?

'Yeah…,' Hotaru looked up. Even in the darkness, Arashi could see his comrade's worried expression, 'They have an Inuzuka with them.'

Arashi clenched his fists, 'Shit.'

* * *

Running as fast as they could manage in the darkness, Arashi and Hotaru made their way towards the edge of the forest. They had not camped too far from the forest's edge; a precaution in case they were found. The two ninja stuck close together, using each other as guides while they navigated their way around the hazardous obstacles such as trees, roots and rocks. Travel on ground was far less effective than by tree; but under the hazardous circumstances, tree hopping could not even be considered an option. At first, neither spoke; both were concentrating only on avoiding their relentless pursuers. But when Arashi could no longer take the melancholic mood, he chose to break the silence.

'So I'm curious,' Arashi started, 'If they were still so far away, how can you be certain they had found our trail?'

Hotaru remained silent for a moment. When he finally answered, his voice was calm, the tone of his words rising and lowering with each controlled breath, 'At the beginning of my watch, I went out and placed surveillance tags along the perimeter of our campsite. I chose a far enough distance that we'd have time to escape if an intruder was detected.'

Arashi was both surprised by and impressed with Hotaru's tactic, 'Wow that's pretty smart.'

'Smart,' Hotaru scoffed, 'It is basic procedure, you moron. You'd know how to do the same if you had paid any attention in sealing class.'

'Yeah right, seal techniques are for nerds like you,' Arashi laughed. Then, hoping to avoid a lecture, Arashi asked another question, 'So how do you know an Inuzuka is with them?'

'Well…,' Hotaru began to explain his jutsu; 'The technique I used was fairly basic. By placing my own blood on a surveillance tag, I am alerted to any intruder that passes by the seal via a chill down my spine. The surveillance tag works in such a way that it detects body heat, and I can determine the size of the intruder by the levels of that body heat.

I detected three life forms pass one particular tag, two humans and what I believe to be a large canine. Whoever they are, they are following a direct path to the campsite; and judging by their movement speed, they are in a hurry to get to their destination.'

'Okay,' Arashi nodded, 'Well the ninja dog is obviously going to make matters worse for us. It will catch our scent and be able to track us through that.'

'Correct,' Hotaru muttered, 'Meaning if we have any hope of avoiding a fight, we have to either set up a trap or eliminate the dog.'

'Well, a trap is out of the question,' Arashi explained. He ran his hand over his weapon pouches and sighed, 'We don't the time to set up a proper trap. And even if we did, we couldn't put faith in the trap being able to stop all of them. And the dog….'

'Eliminating the dog means we'd have to get in close to the enemy,' Hotaru nodded.

Arashi stopped in his tracks, 'In which case, we'll be walking right in to a fight anyways….'

Hotaru halted as soon as he saw his partner stop, 'Correct. So what do you think we should do?'

'We can't risk fighting them,' Arashi explained, 'So we'll have to make a run for it with them following close on our trail.'

Hotaru sighed, 'And to think we could be safe in the village right now if we had never run away.'

'And where,' Arashi grinned, 'would be the fun in that?'

Hotaru's eyes narrowed, 'I'll pretend you didn't just say that.'

* * *

And with that, the two ninja once again took off towards the clearing. As they swerved around tree branches and upturned rocks, Arashi laughed for the first time in several days.

Another ten minutes of running saw Arashi and Hotaru to the edge of the forest. Streaks of moonlight filtered through the clouds in the sky, brightening the surrounding grassland just enough so that they would not have to rely on each other for co-ordination. From here they would have to travel west for two straight days until they reached a small merchant village where they could rest and stock up on food. Assuming the ANBU had not slept the entire night, they would grow weary before Arashi and Hotaru, and would possibly have to stop for rest. The pair were counting on it, as any kind of advantage right now would be helpful. Wasting no time, the two turned westward and took off toward their destination. They did not make it twenty paces, however, before a masked figure appeared only feet in front of them. The two friends moved instinctively toward each other, shurikens and kunai in their hands even before the figure had a chance to speak. When he did, his voice betrayed amusement.

'Uzumaki Arashi and Uchiha Hotaru,' The hunter announced. From beneath the porcelain mask covering the enemy's face, Arashi could feel a set of eyes on him. The hunter ninja turned his head slightly, his attention shifting to Hotaru, 'Just the two I wanted to see.'

'A trap huh?' Arashi hissed.

Hotaru tightened his grip on the kunai in his hand, 'Don't let your guard down.'

'Now tell me,' The hunter continued, 'Why was it so easy to fool two descendants of such prodigious clans? I must admit to being a little disappointed; I would have expected a bit better from an Uzumaki and an Uchiha.'

'Either stop your yakking and identify yourself or attack us,' Arashi yelled to the hunter ninja, 'Either way, we don't have time to chat with you.'

'With pleasure,' The hunter deeply bowed. As he raised his body back up, his hand pulled away the mask. His eyes were a dark blue and his lips were fixed in a mischievous smirk. His silver-white hair was cut short and just barely covered his forehead. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but the two former Konoha ninja felt they recognized him, 'My name is Aohoshi Kambasu.'

Arashi gasped at the name, Hotaru rolled his shoulders. Arashi was the first to speak, 'Kambasu? But you work at the library. You were always there when I had to pick up or drop off study texts!'

'Yes, that was indeed me,' Kambasu laughed, 'I guess you're surprised that I am actually an ANBU captain? Well, you shouldn't be. Us ANBU have to have a life besides the one behind the mask, right?'

'Whatever,' Hotaru replied, raising his kunai, 'We're in a hurry.'

'I'm afraid I can't let you two leave,' Kambasu's smile faded. 'I've been ordered by my superiors to bring you back to Konoha. If you resist, I am authorized to use deadly force.'

'Stop screwing with us!' Arashi yelled, 'Get out of our way!'

'Oh, I'm not 'screwing' around,' Kambasu reached into a pouch and removed a kunai of his own, 'In fact; I'm hoping you two resist me. The Hidden Leaf is better off without traitorous scum like you.'

Arashi's expression darkened, 'What did you just say?'

'I said,' Kambasu sneered, 'You are garbage and the Hidden Leaf doesn't need the likes of you around. Just look at you; how dare you so proudly wear the blonde hair of your great grandfather Hokage Minato, your grandfather Hokage Naruto! You are a disgrace to the royal line! And your friend, a filthy Uchiha snake; your clan has always been traitorous, so I am not surprised to see you here. I'd be doing Konoha a favour by killing you two right now.'

'Bastard…!' Arashi screamed.

Before Hotaru could try and calm him down, Arashi was already charging at the enemy ninja. He flung one arm upwards, releasing the three shuriken he had held between his fingers. Each found their mark, burying themselves deep in Kambasu's chest. With a surprised grunt, Kambasu fell backwards on to the cold grass.

'Dead on…!' Arashi grinned. But upon closer inspection of the body, he saw only a log with his shuriken driven into it. He turned his head to scan his surroundings, 'Crap! Hotaru, it's a substitution…!'

Hotaru heard Arashi and quickly squeezed shut his eyes, 'Sharingan!'

When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer black; but rather they were red with a small black pupil and three Sharingan tomoe. He immediately located the whereabouts of Kambasu, who was hiding off behind a thick patch of grass to their left. Judging by the movement the Sharingan was picking up, Hotaru concluded that the hunter-nin was performing the hand seals necessary for a ninjutsu technique.

'Arashi…!' Hotaru yelled, 'Watch out!'

Arashi turned to see what Hotaru was warning about; but just as he did, the darkness around them was washed away in light like false dawn. The source of the sudden glow was a large ball of flame that was now heading towards Arashi and quickly gaining speed. But just as he turned to retreat, Hotaru was at his side, his hands performing seals with incredible speed.

'_Fire Element: Fire Ball Blast!_' Hotaru inhaled a great amount of air and then released it as a stream of fire which formed into a gigantic flaming sphere, identical to the one approaching them. The two jutsus collided with an explosion, shaking the earth and leaving a cloud of smoke hovering over the battlefield. When the smoke began to lift, an unscratched Kambasu stood impatiently at the center of the explosion's crater, scanning back and forth for any signs of Arashi or Hotaru. When at last he spotted them, they were struggling to stand and were attempting to use each other as support.

'How pathetic,' He scoffed, 'You continuously disappoint me.'

And with that Kambasu removed two kunai from his weapon pouch and advanced on the disgruntled pair.

* * *

End note: Thus ends the first chapter of The Tempest Chronicles. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. The next chapter should be done soon, so keep an eye out for it!

Confirmations for the Confused:

- None I can think of. Feel free to ask questions, if you like. I have set up a forum in the forum-section for this story, and in it is a thread for Q&A.

Final words: This is a fun story, so I hope I can keep at it without losing motivation (something I do easily). In any case, I hope you enjoy, and if you do then I can use your comments and support to help keep me motivated and wanting to produce more chapters. Until next time, bai bai!


	3. Chapter 2: Escape

Disclaimer: Naruto is © property of Masashi Kishimoto. Story and Original Characters are © material of Anomander Rake. Do not use without owner's permission.

Warning: Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles is rated **M** for coarse language, violence, use of alcohol/drugs, sexuality and dark themes.

Author's Note: Not much to say today. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles**

_A story by Anomander Rake_

Chapter 2 – "Escape"

* * *

The pair of runaway ninja were struggling to stand as Kambasu walked towards them, a kunai spinning on the index finger of each hand. His lips were curled in an arrogant smirk which matched the way he slowly strutted towards his targets. He stopped a couple feet from Arashi, who was leaning against Hotaru's shoulder trying to keep balance. Their clothes were scorched in places, tendrils of smoke rising from the burn marks and disappearing into the night sky. Hotaru stood silently, his Sharingan eyes set on the hunter-nin while Arashi blinked the smoke out of his eyes, his teeth grinding together audibly.

'I must admit,' Kambasu licked his lips, 'I am ecstatic that I was the one to catch you two. There was a time there, I must admit, when I was afraid I'd be robbed of the chance, and the pleasure, of being able to run you through.'

Arashi growled. 'You disgust me.'

'Oh…?' Kambasu eyed the blonde ninja, amused.

'Yeah,' He glared at Kambasu, 'You and everybody in Konoha. My grandafter, Uzumaki Naruto, fought for and died for Konoha, and he envisioned a peaceful world free of wars! And how do you repay the sacrifices he made? By fighting more wars! You are a disgrace to the names of the great ninja who have died for Konoha, and even now you gleefully plot to murder us! You are scum.'

'What did you say…?' Kambasu's face darkened, 'You filthy traitor! You know nothing about duty or loyalty! Don't you dare speak against Konoha, you sons of bitches!'

As Kambasu took a step towards Arashi, ninja began to appear around him. Each wore the white animal mask of the Konoha ANBU, and together with Kambasu they made four, the typical number in a ninja squad. The new ninja studied Arashi and Hotaru for a moment, and then one turned to Kambasu and spoke.

'Sir, we have orders from the Hokage,' He announced loudly and clearly. 'Mist ninja have been reported crossing our border uninvited and all units are to prepare for a possible battle.'

Kambasu considered the information for a moment, and then nodded. 'Alright, I was just finishing here anyways.'

He turned to face the two missing ninja again and then grunted. With an almost effortless flick of his arms, he sent the kunai at both his targets, too fast for his opponents to react. The first buried itself deep in Hotaru's chest, causing him to gasp and fall to his knees. With his support suddenly gone, Arashi lost his balance and tumbled sideways, the second kunai tearing across his throat as he fell. Two sprays of blood and both ninja were lying motionless on the ground.

Kambasu studied the bodies for a moment, and then turned back towards the forest. 'You heard the Hokage's order; we're expected back in Konoha! Toshiro, burn the bodies and then meet up with-'

But before Kambasu could finish giving the order, they all heard a familiar "poof' noise that made them turn back towards the pair of dead ninja... to see only two small clouds of smoke rising from where the bodies should have been.

'Clones….?' Kambasu was taken aback, 'But when… how…?'

Then he remembered. He had been momentarily blinded after the explosion. _That must be when they created the clones and ran away…._

'Damn it...!' Kambasu screamed; his hands clenched tightly into fists.

'Sir, should we pursue them…?' The hunter named Toshiro asked.

'And ignore the Hokage's order…?' He snapped. 'Forget the traitors for now, the village may be in danger. The lives of our loved ones are more important than hunting down a couple of maggots.'

'Yes sir…!' Toshiro bowed.

Kumbasu looked to where the dead bodies should have been and then back to his team. 'You have your orders, move out!'

'Sir…!' The other three chanted in unison, and then together ran back towards the dark forest. Kambasu followed close behind, his eyes narrowed in an angry glare.

* * *

Daybreak had come and gone, and it was only when the sun was setting again that Arashi and Hotaru took a break from running. Hotaru, leaning against a tree, sighed heavily and took a large drink from a water skin. Arashi lay at Hotaru's feet, spread out on his back, his forehead protector pulled down to cover his eyes. Both ninja were quiet for a long while, the only sound from either of them being the loud, uneven panting of exhaustion. It was Hotaru who spoke first, breaking the nervous silence.

'We've been running all day.' He said.

'Yeah,' Arashi answered.

'And our pace had been slowing continuously.'

'Yeah,'

'But those hunters haven't caught up to us yet.'

Arashi ran his hand through his hair, pulling off the band keeping it in a ponytail. 'Yeah,'

Hotaru looked over at his partner. 'They should have caught up hours ago.'

Both were quiet for a time, contemplating why the hunters had given up their search. Eventually Arashi answered, 'Yeah,'

And then silence. Neither dared speak of how close they had come to dying. Kambasu had been strong, Arashi could tell right away. And he didn't need Hotaru to tell him how close his reinforcements were. Had they not escaped when they did, it was very probable they would have been overpowered and executed. The idea sent a shiver up Arashi's spine. _So now they are trying to kill us. I guess we're going to have to get serious from this point on._

The silence continued for a while longer, and when the sun started to set behind the distant mountains, Arashi replaced his forehead protector to its rightful place on his forehead. 'It's time to get going again.'

Hotaru nodded. 'Yeah,'

* * *

The rising sun was met with the shrill chirps of infant birds, voicing their hunger to a mother who no doubt was already hunting worms and other insects to feed them. It was to this sound that Kareki awoke every morning, assuming she slept the night previous. She had slept through this night, however, and therefore woke up with the birds as usual. The kunoichi rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and then jumped to the ground from the branch she had used as a bed, stretching her limbs and cracking her joints while she muttered complaints under her breath. Sleeping on rough bark with no cover from the wind or rain was a very uncomfortable way to live, but it was necessary for a runaway ninja who could not afford to be seen. At least until she crossed the border into Fire Country, where she would be safe from her own Country's hunters.

Kareki knelt down beside a nearby spring, and using her hands like a cup, she splashed her own face with the cool water. The droplets trickled down her cheeks to her chin and eventually down her neck, leaving her unblemished skin glistening like honey in the faint morning light. A mane of unkempt, ochre coloured hair framed her face, and cascaded over her shoulders and along her back, ending slightly above her waistline. As she opened her eyes, she could see herself reflected in the spring water, her eyes, cool and hard like amber, staring back at her from within the watery depths.

She sighed. _Only two more days…._

'_Catch her…!' The first ninja ordered. 'We can't let her escape!'_

'_Right,' The second ninja nodded, taking after the fleeing Kareki. He formed a couple hand seals and grinned. 'I got her!'_

_As he said this, a tree detonated in front of Kareki, forcing her to roll to her side to dodge the falling pieces of wood. The presence of an explosive tag confirmed Kareki's suspicions that the pair had set up an ambush. Her roll brought her back to her feet, but the hunter ninja had already closed the distance. She stood facing the pair of elite tracker from Hidden Sand, her home village she betrayed. As a rebellious missing-nin, their orders would be to either kill her or bring her back to the village alive. Kareki suspected it was the former._

'_I don't know what you were thinking,' The one Kareki assumed was the leader of the pair spoke. 'But assassinating a lord you were tasked to protect… it's unforgivable!'_

'_Well, I guess it's a good thing I don't want your forgiveness.' Kareki answered coolly._

'_She has a mouth on her, sir,' This voice belonged to the second ninja, the one who had planted the explosive tag. 'Maybe we ought to show her how to use her mouth properly.'_

'_I like your thinking.' The first ninja grinned. 'Let's show her.'_

'_Yes sir!'_

_Kareki regarded the pair of hunters with a cold stare. If she was afraid, she didn't show it. 'Well, I was hoping to avoid spilling more Sand blood, but…'_

_She unsheathed the ninja-to hanging from her shoulder and batted away the first ninja's shuriken with an effortless side swing. The second moved to flank her from the left but she grabbed a handful of shuriken from a pouch on her leg, and threw them in his path, forcing him to stop as to avoid being hit. Meanwhile the leader was at her side, forcing her to duck under a kunai swing aimed for her shoulder. She recovered with an upwards swing of her sword, catching him in the ribs as his kunai passed safely over her head. She heard the sound of bone snapping, felt a splash of warm blood on her forearm and then the ninja was doubling over, screaming a list of curses as he did. Kareki pulled her sword free of the injured ninja's body just in time to deflect another three shuriken thrown by the second hunter, purposely burying one in the fallen leader's neck, silencing him._

_As he began to charge at her, the tracker-nin performed three quick hand seals and then threw a kunai at the ground. 'Earth Element: Ground Pulse!'_

_The kunai struck the ground, and Kareki was suddenly thrown off balance, as if the world was experiencing a severe earthquake. The enemy took advantage of Kareki's moment of surprise, leaped, and landed on top of her, pushing her hard against the ground. She dropped her ninja-to, which the hunter quickly kicked out of reach and then he had his hand around her throat, choking her. The world around her was spinning, and she could feel wetness on her neck. Probably cut her head open during the fall, she thought. More importantly though was the inability to breathe with the man quickly choking the life out of her, and if she didn't stop him soon, she knew, he was likely to suffocate her, if not break her neck. She swung wildly at his arm, punching him first in the bicep, and then in the forearm. He didn't let go, and so she swung a third time, this time connecting with his elbow, snapping his arm at the joint. The pressure around her neck lightened as he screamed in surprise, and she quickly reached up, pulling the ninja's head closer to her._

'_I'll show you what this mouth can do.' She growled, the world around her a spinning blur._

_And with that said, she leaned her head forward and searched for his neck. She quickly found the soft flesh with her mouth, and clamping down as hard as she could, she pulled away from the ninja, tearing out part of his throat with her teeth. His screams were almost inaudible compared to the pounding in her head, and it was an effort to turn herself over and spit out the collection of skin, muscle and blood that filled her mouth. She couldn't tell how long she lay there afterward, waiting for the feeling in her body to come back, for the world to stay still again. When finally she could move again, she sat up and surveyed the area around her. The first ninja was a couple feet away, an unmoving body in a pool of blood. The second lay across her legs, his eyes milky and lifeless but his legs still thrashing. So I haven't been lying here long, she mused._

_Pushing the ninja off of her, Kareki stood and searched for her sword. She found it laying a few metres away, and she picked it up, cleaned the blood from the steel using one of the dead ninja's shirt, and when she deemed it satisfactory, she replaced it in it's scabbard. She reached behind her head, feeling the cut on her skull and then pulled her fingers back, studying the slick blood on her fingers._

'_Concussion,' She thought grimly. 'I have to get out of here.'_

_And wasting precious little time, Kareki jumped into a tree and then made her way out of the kill site, leaving the two fresh bodies to the hungry eyes of on looking predators. As she was moving from tree to tree, she could have sworn she heard the laughing of hyena from behind her._

_She smiled and spoke to herself, 'How ironic.'_

Kareki snapped herself out of her thoughts. It had been nearly a week since she left Hidden Sand, and believing herself safe outside of Wind's borders had been a mistake. Those hunter-nin had followed her out of Wind Country and into these wild jungles between Wind and Fire, after all, and if any more hunters were after her, she wasn't safe from them yet. Sighing, Kareki took one more look at herself in the spring, and then stood up, grabbing her sheathed ninja-to that lay on the ground beside her. Strapping it to her back, Kareki leaped back onto the tree's branch, and then to another, and then another. As she quickened her pace, Kareki looked up at the patches of sky visible through the leaves. _Only two more days…_

* * *

End note: That one was the shortest chapter so far, but I enjoyed writing it the most. Kareki, the newest character introduced, is a renegade ninja who betrayed her village of Hidden Sand by killing a noble she was sent to protect. Why did she do it? You'll find out later, as she is going to be one of the main characters of the story. Yay!

Confirmations for the Confused:

- Can't think of any. If you can, drop by the Forum! I'll answer any questions you might have there.

Final words: That's it for this addition to The Tempest Chronicles. I will begin work on the next chapter immediately, as this story is so much fun. Like always, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope you'll be back for the next chapter. Bai bai.


	4. Chapter 3: Meeting

Disclaimer: Naruto is © property of Masashi Kishimoto. Story and Original Characters are © material of Anomander Rake. Do not use without owner's permission.

Warning: Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles is rated **M** for coarse language, violence, use of alcohol/drugs, sexuality and dark themes.

Author's Note: Not much to say today. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles**

_A story by Anomander Rake_

Chapter 3 – "Meeting"

* * *

The afternoon sky was clear of clouds, the sun oppressing the earth with unbearable heat. Grass stretched out around Arashi for as far as the eye could see in any direction. The lack of trees also meant the lack of shade and after half a day walking in such hot conditions, he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Reaching for his belt, he grabbed the water skin, brought it to his mouth and drank deep from the warm water before throwing the skin to Hotaru.

'This heat is ridiculous,' Arashi complained.

'There is an inn on the border,' Hotaru replied, lifting the skin to his mouth and drinking from its contents, 'We will be able to stop there and rest for a time, before crossing out of Fire Country. Once we leave Fire, we will be in heavily forested land, traveling through wild jungles and rain forests. While we will be protected from the sun, there will be the problem of humidity, and then….'

Arashi nodded. 'And then Wind Country….'

'Correct.'

'A stroll through rain village would be pretty nice right about now.'

'Don't worry,' Hotaru pulled a small, messily drawn map out of a pouch on his leg, 'We shouldn't spend too much time in Wind. By traveling this way, Konoha will think we've taken refuge in Wind Country. Meanwhile, we are free to travel northwest from Sand and cross into Earth Country. It will be cooler there and we'll be able to disappear, at least for a time.'

'But it's going to be so hot in Wind!'

'Stop whining,' Hotaru sighed, 'Sometimes I seriously wonder how you have made it this far in life.'

'Well that's easy,' Arashi flashed a grin, 'Luck and good looks.'

'If only had you been gifted with a brain, instead.'

'And make you useless? Not a chance, my nerdy friend.'

Hotaru shot Arashi a glare. 'I see you're back to your cheerful and annoying self.'

'Well, next to you a corpse would look cheerful, so that's not saying much.'

'Mockery,' Hotaru scoffed, 'The final chapter in "Conversing with others - Arashi's guide for fools and barbarians". Glad to see you haven't lost it.'

'Sarcasm,' Arashi shot back, 'The final chapter in "Being cranky, irritable, emotionless and all around boring - Hotaru's guide for old men and statues". Glad to see you're still taking yourself too seriously.'

Arashi walked on, a rather large grin on his face. Hotaru followed slightly behind, glaring angrily at Arashi's back. Then, looking to the sky, Hotaru smiled.

'You're such an idiot.'

* * *

The first thing she noticed upon entering the small inn was that it was clean. The walls were decorated with ink paintings that depicted the various landscapes of what she assumed to be Fire Country, and fresh cut flowers lined the walls in clay pots leaving a sweet fragrance in the air. The bamboo walls and sliding doors were, Kareki noted, a pleasant change from the sand and clay buildings of Hidden Sand. All in all, she was satisfied.

The man behind the front desk was older, his tanned face lined with wrinkles. What was left of his thinning white hair made a ring around his head, each side combed up to cover as much of the bald skin as possible. He was dressed in a traditional hakama of black and gold silk, his chest bare and visible beneath. He watched her approach with sleepy eyes, but regarded her with a soft smile and a bow of his head. She returned the friendly gesture and took a glance at the prices listed on the desk. The prices were a bit expensive as small time inns went, but Kareki decided the tidy and cozy atmosphere was deserving of a little extra.

She paid the innkeeper a night's fare and then extra to cover a serving at dinner and breakfast, use of the hot spring and a bottle of homemade fruit wine. He took the money, bowed again, and then gestured Kareki to follow him as he led her to her room, his head bobbing up and down as he hurriedly walked down a narrow hallway. Unlocking the door for her, the old man slid it open, bowed one last time, and then set off back toward the front desk. Rising from her bow, Kareki turned and walked into her room, sliding closed the door behind her.

The room was small, but it would be more than enough for her. There was a futon centered on the far wall, a bamboo table on its right and a blanket roll sitting in the left corner. Sitting on the table was a gift basket containing a bottle of water, a packaged rice ball, a fresh towel and some scented candles. She first grabbed the blankets from the corner of the room, and began to lay them out on the futon. Then, with her bed made, she began removing her weapons and tools, sorting them neatly on the floor. She began stripping the various pouches from her body, throwing them in a pile in the corner of a room and then, when she was comfortable, she sat on the futon, grabbed the bottle of complimentary water from the basket, and set to washing her weapons.

She was halfway through cleaning her sword when movement out the window caught her eye, and she saw a pair of male ninja approaching the inn. They looked young, one wearing his long golden hair in a ponytail and the other with messy black hair practically covering his face. The black haired ninja wore a ninja-to on his back, similar to Kareki's, but he wore his hilt up, as opposed to hers worn hilt down. They were dressed in navy blue pants, sandals and long sleeve shirts. Over top of the shirt they wore forest green flak jackets and despite having no visible forehead protectors, Kareki could easily identify the ninja. _Konoha ninja._

She watched as they entered the inn, and then went back to cleaning the blood from her sword. She had no reason to fear trouble from Konoha ninja, and their presence here wasn't surprising considering she was now in Fire Country. _Probably stopping by for dinner on their way back from a mission. _With the thought of food, her stomach rumbled, and after looking at her stomach is surprise, Kareki decided she'd finish up after a hot meal. She pulled on her sandals, slid a single kunai into her waistband, and headed for the door. She decided she didn't need her jacket or forehead protector, and they would just draw unwanted attention anyways. Stepping out of her room and sliding the door closed behind her, Kareki walked off in search for the dining room.

* * *

'I don't know' Arashi was saying, 'I still say your idea is dumb.'

'And what is dumb about it…?' Arashi asked, grabbing a salmon roll with his chopsticks and biting into it.

'The part where we travel through Wind Country and cook ourselves alive' He considered.

'It makes the most sense from a logical standpoint.'

'And that's your problem,' Arashi mumbled with a mouth full of fried noodles. 'We go by everything using your logic, and therefore we suffer.'

'My logic is the only reason we're still alive,' Hotaru replied darkly, 'If we were doing things your way, you'd have led us straight off a cliff by now.'

'So what if I did…?' Arashi took a sip from his hot tea, 'It would be a much faster and less painful way to die than to cook in the desert sun, suffering from dehydration, waiting hopelessly until the vultures come and rip out our eyes.'

'You're ridiculous.'

'Not as ridiculous as your ideas.' Arashi muttered.

'Well I've had enough of your whining,' Hotaru stood up, 'You're just going to have to believe in me, because we're going through the desert.'

'Whatever,' Arashi stood up to, and took off toward the rooms behind Hotaru, 'If we run out of food though, I'm cooking you.'

'Just remember who has the katons here.'

* * *

The voices trailed off as the two ninja disappeared into their respective rooms, and Kareki, who had been sitting two seats away, her back to the pair, was now pondering all she had heard from them. They had mentioned traveling into and through Wind Country, for reasons unknown, but it sounded like escape to her. _So traitors like me._ It was common enough these days, what with the constant wars. Ninja would lose faith in their village and abandon it, becoming missing ninja always on the run from hunters. She had made that very same choice. Her interest in the two quickly faded, and she turned her attention back to her food. A generous serving of breaded salmon rolls and soy noodles were on the plate in front of her, half eaten since she had sat down. She grabbed a salmon roll, popped it in her mouth, and chewed methodically while thinking about taking a hot bath. When she could no longer eat any more, she wiped her mouth, stood up and headed back to her room.

Kareki entered her small room, collected the towel from the basket on the table, and then left the room again. She followed the signs saying "Hot spring", walking down a hallway opposite the one where her bedroom was located. At the end of the hallway was another door, which she opened and walked through. Inside was a small spring, will walls built around it to give some privacy. The room was thick with steam, making it difficult to see anything more than a foot or two in front of her. Using the railing to her right, she made her way toward the bath and once standing on its edge, she began to remove her clothes. She removed the tan shirt and pants first, folding them neatly and placing them on the ground beside the bath. Then she started unraveling the body bandages she wore, which acted both as a layer of cloth armour and a bra.

When she stood completely naked, Kareki stepped into the hot water, quickly submerging herself up to her neck. She sat down and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes and sighing to herself. The water felt nice on her skin, and she could already feel muscles loosening up inside her. She let herself half-doze in the water, thinking back on the past week. She had killed several Sand ninja now and soon her name would be added to the village's bingo book. _Great._ She thought back to what the two ninja were talking about at dinner. Were they runaways like her? If so, what were they running from? Was she making the right decision in seeking refuge here? So many questions, she mused, and not a single answer for any. She soon gave up on questions and began trying to picture the pair of ninja had looked like in her mind. When she recalled their features in her mind, she smiled to herself. _They're kinda cute._

* * *

Arashi was lying on his bed, throwing a kunai into the air above him, and catching it with a finger on its way down. Hotaru was perched on the windowsill, looking out at the starry sky. Neither had spoken for a while, leaving the room silent except for the faint whistling sound as Arashi's kunai cut the air. After a time, Arashi looked over at Hotaru and began to speak.

'The last night in Fire Country, huh…?'

'Guess so.' Hotaru replied, not taking his eyes from the window.

'Regret following me?' Arashi began throwing the kunai again.

'Not really,' Hotaru said, 'I'm just thinking about my brother and sister.'

'Ah, those two….'

'Yes.'

'They'll be fine.'

'I know,' He turned to Arashi, 'I wonder what they think about me though. They must hate me.'

'I doubt it.'

'I wonder if they're being treated unfairly because of my betrayal.'

'I doubt that too,' Arashi paused, 'Your sister is a higher up, isn't she? One of the Hokage's most trusted?'

'Yeah.'

'Then don't worry about it.'

Hotaru was silent for a time. He returned his gaze to the stars and when he spoke again, the topic was changed.

'That kunoichi was listening intently on our conversation,' Hotaru mused.

'The sand chick….?' Arashi asked, 'Didn't notice.'

'Well, she was,' Hotaru turned to face his friend, 'She was hardly eating. She was too busy listening to what we said.'

'You think she's a spy?'

'I don't know. But I don't want to discount the idea and get knifed in my sleep.'

'The feeling is mutual, my friend.' Arashi grinned, 'Well, I didn't recognize her, and I thought I had familiarized myself with all the ladies in Konoha. Still, if you think she's a threat, we should be on our guard.'

'Right,' Hotaru jumped off the window sill, 'So what do we know about her? She's slim and shorter, so she probably isn't taijutsu efficient. There was a bulge at her hip, which means she is carrying at least one weapon, probably a kunai, on her person. If she is from Leaf, she is probably briefed on our abilities, so she would have to be strong if she wanted to oppose us alone. That or she has back up nearby.'

'That sounds about right.' Arashi replied.

'Not much to go on,' Hotaru mumbled thoughtfully, 'Can you think of anything to add?'

Arashi considered the question for a moment. 'She's got a nice ass.'

Hotaru stared at Arashi for a moment in disbelief, and then shook his head. 'Unbelievable.'

* * *

Kareki was on the way back to her room after enjoying the hot bath. She hadn't bothered replacing the bandages on her body, nor putting on her spoiled clothes, and so was naked beneath the towel she wore around herself. She made her way down the hall way to her room, but stopped outside her door, eyes narrowing in suspicion. The door was fully closed, despite her leaving it open 1/8th an inch. She dropped her clothing in a pile on the floor, and bending over, she grabbed the kunai from the pants. She stood up, took a deep breath, and then threw open the room door, sending the kunai at the intruder. He turned around as the kunai left her hand and plucked it from the air only inches in front of his face. It was the black haired ninja from earlier, she noticed. _Damn it. Are they hunters in disguise?_ She took a step forward, but a hand grabbed her by the arm, pulling her backwards towards him. A second later there was a kunai at her throat. _Shit, his partner._ The man behind her laughed.

'You don't want to go throwing weapons at that one,' He said, his hot breath pressing against Kareki's neck. She felt herself growing angry. 'He steals them, you see. It can get pretty expensive after awhile.'

'Let go of me.' Kareki growled.

'Maybe in a minute.' Arashi replied.

'What do you want from me?'

'We want to ask you a few questions,' Hotaru answered, spinning the kunai on his finger. He took a step towards her and put the weapon in his pouch. 'Arashi.'

'Right.' He nodded, kicking shut the room door behind him.

* * *

End note: No fighting in this chapter, unfortunately. But not all chapters can be action oriented, alas. Can't think of much more to say, so I will leave it at that.

Confirmations for the Confused:

- Can't think of any. If you can, drop by the Forum! I'll answer any questions you might have there.

Final words: That's it for this addition to The Tempest Chronicles. I will begin work on the next chapter immediately, as this story is so much fun. Like always, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope you'll be back for the next chapter. Bai bai.


	5. Chapter 4: Calm

Disclaimer: Naruto is © property of Masashi Kishimoto. Story and Original Characters are © material of Anomander Rake. Do not use without owner's permission.

Warning: Naruto+: The Tempest Chronicles is rated **M** for coarse language, violence, use of alcohol/drugs, sexuality and dark themes.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been trudging through a nasty case of mental block, on top with endless school work and mid-term studying. Anyways, I finally got to finishing this chapter so hopefully you'll enjoy.

* * *

**Naruto: The Tempest Chronicles**

_A story by Anomander Rake_

Chapter 4 – "Calm"

* * *

'This is ridiculous,' She exclaimed, eyes on the man in front of her, 'I don't know who you are, or how paranoid you may be, but I am not a Hidden Leaf spy.'

'I don't trust her,' Arashi scowled, 'She's a woman.'

'I'm a woman…?' Kareki repeated incredulously, 'What the Hell is that supposed to mean?'

'That you are probably a liar.'

Kareki slowly inched her hand forward, bending her elbow slightly. She would wait for her captor to let down his guard, and then break his jaw.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' Said Hotaru, the man with red eyes who she had been looking at.

'Do what?'

'Don't act dumb,' Hotaru replied, his tone resonating boredom, 'My friend may not have noticed you preparing to strike him, but these eyes see everything. Hit him and I'll be forced to kill you.'

Kareki's eyes narrowed but she said nothing. She stared at Hotaru, who stared back at her. After a moment, he turned his attention to outside the window and waved his hand towards her. 'Let her go.'

Arashi eyed his partner for a moment, but let her go anyways. By taking his arm off her, the towel fell off, revealing her naked form. Arashi whistled and said 'Nice ass.'

She whirled around on him, delivering a strong punch to his jaw, sending him crashing into the wall. Picking up the towel, she quickly replaced it around her body and then made towards Hotaru. He glanced her way, grunted, and looked back out the window. Confused, Kareki stopped her advance and crossed her arms.

'Aren't you going to attack me for hitting your friend?'

'No,' Hotaru replied without looking at her, 'He deserved that one.'

'The Hell I did!' Arashi was back on his feet and marching towards Kareki.

'Knock it off, Arashi,' Hotaru stood up, 'Making rude comments to women will often earn you a good smack. No wonder you're so unpopular with the ladies.'

Arashi looked confused. 'What did I say?!'

Hotaru ignored him and made his way towards the door. 'By the way, Sand ninja. Fire Country is a dangerous place to be right now, I would advise against going in there alone.'

Kareki laughed, 'And you know of a place that is not dangerous in this day and age?'

Hotaru nodded at that, 'You're right, I guess.'

With that he left the room, heading back towards his own. Arashi watched him leave, turned once more towards Kareki, gave her an angry glare, then grunted and followed his partner. Kareki was alone in her room once more, half naked and still in shock. She walked over to her door, shut it, and then sat down on her bed. The two ninja had let her go, even while suspecting her to be a leaf hunter. _So they are runaways too, huh?_ She buried her face in her hands, sighed then looked at the windowsill where the black haired ninja named Hotaru had been sitting. Her kunai was missing, which meant he had taken it with him. Remembering what that blonde ninja had said, her face darkened. 'Bastards.'

* * *

'Was it smart to let her go?' Arashi asked as he closed the door behind him. He turned towards Hotaru who was lying on his bed. 'She could attack us in our sleep, you know.'

'She won't,' Hotaru said lazily, 'I don't think she was lying. She is probably as she says she is, just another runaway ninja.'

'Probably…?' Arashi said, incredulously, 'That's unlike you, friend,'

'I just don't feel like starting unnecessary fights.'

'Well, let's hope you're right about her. I don't need my throat slit in my sleep.'

'Have I ever let you down?' Hotaru flashed a rare grin.

'Idiot,' Arashi grinned back, 'I guess you haven't at that.'

'Then quit your bitching,' Hotaru closed his eyes and began twirling a kunai around his finger. Arashi recognized it as the one that kunoichi had thrown at him.

'You seem to be in a good mood tonight,' Arashi eyed his friend suspiciously.

'I guess I am,' Hotaru shrugged, 'I know something you don't.'

'Which is?'

'A cute sand kunoichi is about to join us on our grand crusade.'

Arashi paled. 'You're joking right?'

'We'll see.'

And with that Hotaru grinned again, to Arashi's dismay.

* * *

Hundreds of ninja spanned the field around her, as far as her eyes could see. It was incredible how fast the Hokage had mobilized the Leaf's army at the threat of an incoming invasion. They now stood at the edge of the great ocean, watching as a troop of Mist ninja walked slowly towards them. Tension was thick; what with the possibility of a war beginning right here and now, but Uchiha Tombou wasn't worried. She was absent-mindedly watching the man across from her, a decidedly unattractive man who was lounging on the ground with his eyes closed. He lifted his hand to his face and began picking his nose, and Tombou shook her head in disgust, turning her attention back to the incoming Mist ninja.

Her black hair was cut short, the bangs on her left side grown out a bit longer than on the right. She wore a black Leaf headband around her neck, as her entire face was covered by a porcelain, cat-featured mask. The rest of her body was covered with a custom-fitted white robe, the hood currently flipped back between her shoulders.

'Commander,'

She turned around to see a young ninja, dressed in standard issue ANBU uniform, kneeling in front of her. His eyes were on the ground, leaving only his short, sandy-blonde hair visible.

'Rise soldier,' She waited for him to do as commanded then nodded at him, 'What is it?'

'A message from Lord Hokage, sir,'

She frowned, 'Go ahead.'

The masked young man bowed, 'Sir, scouts report visual of the Mizukage's private chariot being carried along with the approaching army. Lord Hokage believes we are in no danger of an attack and orders that you, as Commander of the ANBU, call back what soldiers you have guarding perimeters around the site, and that you order the ninja preparing for battle to be at ease.'

'I see,' Tombou mused, 'Is that all?'

'Yes, sir,'

'Very well,' She spun and began walking away, 'You heard the Hokage, take a break and relax.'

'Sir…!' He bowed once more, and then walked off towards the feeding areas. Tombou quickly climbed a nearby tree, and then crouched low on a high branch. Closing her eyes, she waited for the next gust of wind, which came only moments later, and cupping her hands to her lips, began whistling in a high, melodic tone. After she completed her short song, she dropped back out of the tree, and then headed back towards camp. The deployed ANBU would have heard her call, and would already be heading back to camp themselves. She began thinking of the news about the Mizukage and the Hokage's sudden decision to break battle formation. If there was no threat, then why did she suddenly feel so worried?

Tombou stopped, scanned the area around her, and then headed towards the food tent. She was suddenly starving, and a hot bowl of bean soup would help calm her nerves.

* * *

Amongst the Mist ninja, only a single man kept a hand on his weapon. He was dressed in baggy blue pants, a pair of matching sandals, and a fishnet tunic with his mist headband tied around his wrist. His shoulder-length blue hair was still wet from a previous dunk in the water, leaving glittering droplets running slowly down his muscular chest and back. Strapped to his back was a three foot long, one foot wide sword whose hilt he was gripping lightly.

The march had been long and tiring, but that was to be expected when one had to cross an ocean while concentrating his chakra to his feet. What he hadn't expected was to be greeted by an entire army of Leaf ninja. Marching along side his comrades, he could not help but feel a bit nervous – after all, the Leaf's mobilized army was almost five times the size of the Mist's, if the frontrunners predictions were correct. It was true enough that the Mist's intentions were friendly, but if the Leaf didn't share their kindness, the entire Mist troop, and the Mizukage, could we wiped out here. He gripped his sword's hilt tightly.

'Yo Izumi,' The man beside him called out, 'The Hell you so tense for?'

He stood seven feet tall with a sword almost as big as he was strapped to his back. His head was shaven bald, and he wore his Mist headband on an angle around his forehead. He wore a black, loose jumpsuit with the sleeves torn off at the elbows and a necklace with a shark tooth pendant. On his hands were cheap looking wool gloves, the pinky of his left hand and the pointer of his right sticking out of holes in the glove fingers.

'You know me, Hitode,' Izumi replied, 'Just expecting the worst.'

'I doubt there's anything to fear from the Leaf,' Hitode grunted, 'They will accept the alliance agreement sure enough.'

'Let's hope.'

'Even if they don't, who cares?' Hitode grinned, 'We're the Mist's seven swordsmen; no one can fuck with us.'

Izumi released his sword's handle and then returned his partner's smile. 'Yeah, I guess you're right about that.'

* * *

As the Leaf and Mist armies moved to greet each other, two figures watched from a far-off cliff side. The wore matching outfits, midnight black pants and tunics over fishnet with matching gloves and sandals, their knuckles, wrists and forearms protected with metal plates attached to their gloves. Loose black sashes were wrapped around their waists, and they wore long black robes, although in differing manners.

The first was a man - his spiky, shoulder-length hair as black as his outfit. He wore his robe undone, like a cloak over his shoulders, leaving his arms free from the sleeves. He stood like a statue on the edge of the cliff, with his arms crossed, his slate coloured eyes set in an intense gaze, sifting from ninja to ninja, watching the armies of the two forces gather. His partner was a woman, her hair cut short and matching the slick blood hue of her eyes. She sat on the edge, one foot dangling off the edge of the cliff, eying the ninja below lazily. Unlike the man beside her, she wore her robe done up, but her sleeves were cut short, ending just below her elbow.

The man eyed his partner as she yawned but looked back just in time to see the man he was looking for arrive. A figure, dressed up in the outfit of the Hokage, appeared with a group of ANBU guards. The dark cloaked man grunted.

'There he is,'

'I see him, I see him,' His partner replied, yawning again. 'He looks boring.'

After her partner didn't reply, she continued on, 'Even more boring than you and I hardly thought that possible.'

Her partner just grunted, his eyes focused on the Hokage below. After a moment of staring at him, she returned her own sights to the Hokage. After a moment's worth of silence, she spoke again. 'We should kill him.'

'Don't be stupid, the boss would kill us.'

'He doesn't have to know it was us who did it.'

'Don't be stupid.'

'Shut up,' She yawned again, 'You owe me, because you didn't get me a birthday present. You could make up for that by keeping your mouth shut if I kill him.'

'I'll find you a cute girl or something,' He offered.

She scoffed. 'Ew no, your taste in women is awful.'

'Well you're just a picky bitch.'

'No, I just have standards, unlike you.'

'Whatever. Keep your eye out for the Mizukage, Dyke-sama.'

'Whatever you say,' She smiled sweetly, 'Death-kun.'

His jaw clenched at the nickname, but he did not make a reply. He instead focused on the gathering below, and before long he was uncrossing his arms. 'There he is.'

'I see him.' She stood up.

'Time to go,' He took off down the cliff side.

'Yeah, yeah,' She shook her head and stepped onto the edge, 'Let's get this over with.'

With that, she took a step forwards and disappeared over the side.

* * *

End note: Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully now that midterms are done, I will be able to update a lot faster.

Confirmations for the Confused:

- Can't think of any. If you can, drop by the Forum! I'll answer any questions you might have there.

Final words: That's it for this addition to The Tempest Chronicles. I will begin work on the next chapter immediately, as this story is so much fun. Like always, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope you'll be back for the next chapter. Bai bai.


End file.
